The General Council Executive has given approval in principle to a new approach to business at the 43rd General Council 2018:
- Pre-GC conversations: Topics of conversation of interest to the wider church will be solicited from the commissioners to GC43 in early 2018. These conversations may help to inform proposals to the General Council or identify conversations the church wishes to hold.
- New proposal format: The template for proposals is designed to encourage naming an issue without specifying the outcome. “Conversation proposals” requesting a conversation on a particular issue are also encouraged.
- Priority agenda set by GC43 commissioners: Proposals will be reviewed and grouped by theme/issue. The top 10 proposal themes/issues will serve as the priority agenda for the General Council. Other proposals will be referred to the GCE or dealt with in other ways.
- Three-phase decision-making: Commissioners will engage in a three-phase process for all General Council business:
- Listening: presentation of the proposal, questions, and answers to clarify issues and implications
- Discussion: exchange of ideas, thoughts, arguments, and pros and cons; suggestions for refining proposal, affirmations, naming principles/parameters
- Decision: final debate and refinement of proposal in plenary; working toward consensus, voting
Please see more detail in the PDF.
Watch the related videos to get more background: GC43: Having Better Conversations and GC43: Why a New Model?